Japanese word

恋愛

Pronunciation

Romajiren'ai

Meaning

  • nounlove

Example

私は恋愛について話します。watashi wa ren ai ni tsu i te hana shi ma su

I talk about love.

Illustration for 恋愛 (love)

More examples

彼は恋愛よりも仕事を大切にしています。kare wa ren ai yo ri mo shi goto o tai setsu ni shi te i ma su

He values work more than romance.

Core concept

Describes the emotional bond and intimate relationship that develop between people who are romantically drawn to each other.

Common phrases

  • 恋愛映画ren ai ei ga

    romance movie

  • 恋愛経験ren ai kei ken

    romantic experience

  • 恋愛関係ren ai kan kei

    romantic relationship

Similar words

恋koi: A romantic feeling toward another person.
愛情aijō: A strong feeling of care and affection for another person.
交際kōsai: A romantic relationship in which two people spend time together as partners.

Definition in Japanese

人と人が互いに愛情を抱き、親密な関係を築くこと。hito to hito ga taga i ni ai jō o ida ki shin mitsu na kan kei o kizu ku ko to

Word origin

恋愛 (ren'ai) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 恋 (ren, "romantic longing") and 愛 (ai, "affection"), combining longing with affection.

Usage tips

  • In English, romance can also mean a love story or a genre, while 恋愛 (ren'ai) normally points to romantic love or relationships in everyday Japanese.

Other meanings

  • romancenoun

Related words

  • 恋愛観renaikanview of lovenoun

Word lists with this word